Pages

Monday, August 13, 2018

TOUR REFLECTIONS

Well, I feel I'm recovered enough to say a few things about the Owl US tour that was recently completed.

After having not toured at all in over a year, and not been off the
West Coast since 2013, it was certainly rather ambitious to get back in
the game with a full US barnstorm. But we felt we had never properly
promoted the Screech LP, and we thought people would appreciate us
coming around with it. We were mostly right.

I was worried that in this day and age, we would be limited
to playing only bar and club shows, as the war on our beloved DIY
venues has intensified, and the severe yuppification of the inner city
continues in nearly every metro burg. However, in our 23 shows that we
played in our 26 days on the road, we did manage to play one brewery,
one bicycle shop, one punk house, one shack in the woods, one bowling
alley, and one motorcycle garage! Not bad.

There were a a few firsts as well: My first time ever seeing or playing
in Detroit, my first visit to Memphis, and the first time I can EVER
say that Salt Lake City was one of the best shows on tour!
A
word for "Iron Horsey," Axell's (trusted?) Dodge Ram Van: Although you
gave us trouble nearly every day, we never once saw you on a flatbed
either, which is more than I can say for most tours, long or short.

A big hats off to Magic Spiegel,
for plunging right into the deep end, mastering the Owl material and
riding in the (constantly malfunctioning) van for 26 days with three
bickering brothers. Your mechanical and technical expertise was
invaluable, and we wouldn't have made it home without it. CHEERS with a
fine Saison.

Thank you to absolutely EVERYONE who helped along the way, you were many, and you are not forgotten!